Troubleshooting the M1 Garand Rifle

M1 Garand Troubleshooting

The M1 Garand rifle is a highly
reliable weapon.
Carefully maintained,
cleaned, and
lubricated,
it should give you no problems.
But just in case, here are some ways to troubleshoot
the Garand.

Possible problems and malfunctions,
their causes, and remedies

First, make sure that you are familiar with
the M1 Garand operation!

The following is an overview:

Loading

Starting with a completely unloaded gun,
the operator pulls back on the operating rod
handle until the bolt locks in the fully
open position.
Two mechanisms hold will hold the bolt back:

The operating rod catch engages a
notch on the operating rod, under
the rear of the barrel.
This prevents the operating rod
traveling forward and bringing the
bolt with it.

The follower raises far enough
to block the bolt itself.

An en-bloc clip filled with 8
cartridges is inserted into the space between
the bolt and chamber, and pressed down into
place.
This presses the follower down into
the action, but the operating rod and bolt
are still held back by the operating rod catch.
The clip locks into place, although it could
be released by depressing the long clip latch
down the left exterior of the receiver.

Feeding and chambering a round

The bolt is pulled back slightly, and the
operating rod catch now disengages because
the follower has been depressed.

The bolt is released and allowed to slam shut,
pulled by the operating rod.
This strips the top cartridge out of the
clip and pushes it into the chamber.

The bolt should fully close and lock,
rotating slightly to its right with
the locking lugs engaging their recesses
in the receiver.

The bolt face is firmly against the
rear face of the cartridge case.

The bolt's extractor is snapped into
the groove around the base of the
cartridge case.

The bolt's ejector is depressed into
the bolt body.

Firing

The trigger is pulled, disengaging the trigger
lugs from the hammer hooks and allowing the
the hammer to swing forward under the pressure
of the hammer spring.

The hammer strikes the tang of the firing pin,
which extends through the bolt.
The forward point of the firing pin strikes
the primer and fires the round.

Ejecting the fired cartridge case

As the bullet passes the gas cylinder port
near the muzzle, hot gases are directed through
that port into the gas cylinder.
That pushes against the piston formed by the
forward end of the operating rod, driving
the operating backward.
The gas port pressure needed for operation is
6000±2000 p.s.i.
(41,370±13,790 kPa).

The rearward action of the operating rod
unlocks the bolt (rotating it back slightly
clockwise, as seen from the rear) and driving
the bolt back.

The extractor, a small spring-tensioned hook
around the bolt face, pulls the now empty
cartridge back by the groove around its base.

The ejector, a small spring-tensioned piston
extending from the bolt face, pushes against
the cartridge base opposite of the point
where it is hooked by the ejector, rotating
the cartridge and ejecting it from the action.

The rest of the bolt cycle, preparing the next round

The bolt and operating rod reach the end of
their range of travel, and the operating rod
spring now brings them back forward "into
battery", or back to the firing configuration.
The next round is stripped from the clip and
chambered.

However, if that last round was the last one
in the clip, the follower has moved upward
far enough that the clip latch disengages
and the operating rod catch engages.
This has two results:

The bolt and operating rod are locked
back with the bolt open.

The empty clip is ejected.

Now, that should just just simply work.
The M1 Garand is a reliable design.
But there may be some problem.
The following table is based on material in the following
three U.S. Army and U.S. War Department documents:

Failure to eject cartridges in correct direction,
30-60° to right of firing direction.

Inadequate lubrication of moving parts.

Lubricate the moving parts.
Cartridges should eject to roughly 30-60°
to right of firing direction.
As the action becomes dirtier and less well lubricated,
the direction will shift further to the right
and then continuing around to the rear.

OperatingStage

Malfunction

Probable Cause

Remedy

Cycling,reloadingnextround,ejectingemptyclip

Short recoil — the bolt is not retracted
far enough to complete the cycle.

Ammunition does not develop adequate gas port pressure
to cycle the action.

WARNING: All content on this web site, including technical data,
information, and reports of any activities, do not detail the
comprehensive training, procedures, techniques, and safety precautions
which are absolutely necessary to properly carry out similar activity.
The reader MUST NOT attempt any reported activity, technique, or
use of equipment based on reports on this web site.
Always consult comprehensive reference manuals for details of
proper training requirements, procedures, techniques and safety
equipment and precautions before attempting any similar behavior.